-Grubbing in Chicago
New School Italian - American Food on Taylor St.
There was a time when Taylor street was one of the premier places to eat in Chicago. Or at the very least it was where you went when you wanted some Italian food. Times change. While there’s still a handful of old school Italian-American options it’s not the first place I think of when I want some Italian food and that’s in part due to the fact that actual Italian food is quite different from the Italian-American food you’ll find at most of the spots on Taylor street. These days you can find food from all over Italy be it pizza from Rome or pasta from the Piedmont. It’s come a long way in the States. It’s not to say there’s not a time and a place for a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs but a lot of the time it's part of a huge menu that caters to everybody and does so with Sysco supplied ingredients cooked in a very uninspiring way to where everything tastes the same. Well today I want to take you to a place making old school Italian - American food with a little bit more life than other restaurants in the neighborhood.
Peanut Park opened right around the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. So it’s been around for more than a year. It’s a joint project from the guys behind Coalfire Pizza and Tempesta Market. They wanted to bring an old world feel back to one of the city’s most historic neighborhoods while giving the food a little bit of a fresh feel. So they opened a spot that fits right into the neighborhood as far as looks and feel, but the menu isn’t quite like you would find at other spots on Taylor. It’s seasonal and includes fresh made pasta among other upgrades. Take for example a linguine made with blue crab, honey espelette, chili butter, and chive. No tomatoes, no cream, no need for any cheese. Safe to say this is a pasta dish you would not find on Taylor back in the 80’s. We were told it’s the most popular of their pasta offerings so it seems they’re giving the neighborhood a little bit of the change it wants.
Having split the pasta as an app we each ordered an entree. For Erica that was the “Razza” which is a breaded piece of skatewing swimming in a lemon and Calabrian chili piccata with fried capers. This was a good example of what I mean when I say they’re giving new life to old classics. Delicious and flaky skate replaces chicken breast while the lemon and butter sauce is amped up with spicy chilis.
Chicken Parmesan is one of those dishes I’ll eat maybe once a year. It’s good but it’s not something I regularly crave. But every now and then I’ll get a taste for it and get me a sandwich or in this case a big plates worth. This is one of the few dishes made with chicken breast that I like but it can only go so far. Well this version went about as far as it can go with a really nice and light red sauce that didn’t seem to weigh me down the way marinara sometimes can. It’s not as thick as it can sometimes get. I liked it. Plus the chicken breast was pounded into a tender consistency while the mozzarella was piled on top and given a nice melting. This hit all the high notes of a classic chicken parmesan. I scarfed down the whole thing even though I ordered it expecting to make two meals out of it. It’s a massive plate of food so it’s not like that wasn’t possible I just really liked it right then and there.
Peanut Park Trattoria
1359 W Taylor St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 929-4188
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